


story of possibilities

by joking_motive



Category: Dangan Ronpa - All Media Types, New Dangan Ronpa V3: Everyone's New Semester of Killing
Genre: Gen, Pre-NDRV3, SPOILERS FOR THE WHOLE GAME LAD'S, hi it's 3am i'm fucking tired, the amami/tsumugi can be interpreted platonically i kept it ambiguous
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-04
Updated: 2017-09-04
Packaged: 2018-12-23 18:41:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,586
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11995704
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/joking_motive/pseuds/joking_motive
Summary: Inspired by https://www.pixiv.net/member_illust.php?mode=manga&illust_id=63387752 , img 14 (warning for some light gore in that link, and overall game spoilers).Essentially an imagining of what season V2 was like, along with the beginning of V3.





	story of possibilities

The first body to drop had unnerved them badly. The trial and execution that followed it failed to provide any consolation, either (in fact, it probably had the exact opposite effect). It most certainly imposed the sort of “kill or be killed” lifestyle Monokuma had wanted, and temporarily crushed any hopes of unity among so-called “classmates”. Temporarily. After a duration of time, some people were more inclined to trust others again, though it was a gradual process.

Throughout the game, a number of thoughts coursed through Rantarou Amami’s head. What would the next motive be? Who would likely be motivated by it? Where and when would the murder eventually take place? He hoped there wasn’t a proper answer for that last one, but being optimistic about the chance of not finding the body of one of your classmates when a sociopathic bear oh-so-desperately wanted you to comply to its demands seemed like a good way to easily get your dreams crushed. One of his classmates had made lunch, to which he politely refused (could he really trust anyone?), but still waited in the cafeteria for everyone else to eat their lunch out of courtesy.

“Amami-kun, are you alright? Your brow is creasing…” The girl who was called the Super High School Level Cosplayer sat across from him, blowing on a spoonful of soup before eating it.

“Ah, Shirogane-san,” His eyes flickered across the room to check one last time before making eye-contact with the bespectacled girl. “I thank you for being worried about my well-being, but really, I’m just thinking about certain things.” Hopefully that didn’t sound like he was plotting a murder.

“... Hm…” Tsumugi avoided his eyes, but it seemed to him like she didn’t believe his statement in full. “I know you’re probably worried about what someone might do, but choosing not to eat lunch because someone else prepared it is a little…”

“Paranoid? Don’t worry, I’ll eat afterwards. Too many cooks in a kitchen usually end well for the food, anyway.”

“Amami-kun, listen to me.” Suddenly, the cosplayer’s voice got more serious, and she looked directly into his eyes. “We won’t let any more murders occur. No matter what Monokuma does to make killing each other more appealing, we absolutely won’t, _will not_ let anything like…” It seemed Tsumugi was recalling the prior case, and grimaced a bit. “There will not be another class trial.”

“I hate to rain on your parade,” Rantarou’s brow furrowed again, but this time, it was out of frustration. He tried to maintain a calm demeanor, but he could not help but feel an immense dislike for Tsumugi’s attitude, even if she was only trying to contribute to the overall happiness of the class. “But saying something like that is not only unlikely, but vain. You cannot be absolutely sure you can prevent a murder from occurring.”

“I think being hopeful and proactive would help out much more than your attitude.” It was clear the girl was getting angrier too. People in the cafeteria had started watching them by this point. “You’re giving up before you start.”

“It’s more logical than your blind optimism. It’s impossible to predict every little detail about what motive might coerce someone to kill, or where it may occur, or what time it happens.” He was getting much more annoyed at Tsumugi than he would’ve liked; he needed to remove himself from the situation, and quickly. “I’m sorry we cannot see eye-to-eye on this issue, Shirogane-san.” Rantarou sighed, stood up, and fast-walked his way out the door.

“Amami-kun…!” Tsumugi called after him, but he was already gone. She began to tap her left pointer finger on the table as she looked into her soup. “This isn’t good… we’re supposed to all be getting along. That’s… the only way we can prevent it all from happening again.”

* * *

“Good morning, Shirogane-san.” When she opened the door, Tsumugi looked like she had just wrestled with a bear. Her sleepwear consisted of a large, over-sized shirt with some anime character on the front, and some panda-patterned pajama pants. Her hair was sticking up from almost all angles, she had night-drool on the right side of her mouth, and wasn’t even wearing her glasses. It was likely he had woken her up, or she was barely awake when he knocked on her door.

“Mmm, normal people aren’t up at this hour.” Tsumugi grumbled as she rubbed her eyes and yawned.

“I apologize.” Rantarou laughed lightly at the image of the cosplayer he beheld at this moment. “I usually wake up even earlier than this when I’m setting out on an adventure, so I’m used to being up around this time.”

“Yeah, well, I’m not.” The girl huffed as she gestured for Rantarou to step into her room. “So? Do you need something?”  
“I… feel like we got off on the wrong foot,” Rantarou scratched the back of his neck uncomfortably. “So I think starting over would be nice.”

“My introduction on the first day here was pretty solid, though. I don’t really feel like a do-over.”

“I’m Rantarou Amami, the Super High School Level Adventurer. Nice to meet you.” The green-haired boy stuck out a sideways open-palm. “See, it’s not that painful.” Tsumugi cracked a smile, and a slight giggle escaped her lips.

“Are you trying to use some of your bishonen charm on me, Amami-kun?”

“I don’t know, is it working?”

“Kinda, sorta. I think.” She retrieved her glasses from her bedside table, and put them on. “I’m Tsumugi Shirogane, Super High School Level Cosplayer. Nice to meet you as well, Amami-kun.” She shook his outstretched hand. “Your palms are sort of sweaty, though. Definitely dampens your bishonen image to an extent.”

“I know my image brings about a certain opinion of my personality, but it’s not like I have hoards of women chasing after me.”

“Really…” Tsumugi looked genuinely surprised by this statement, and sat down on her bed. “I would’ve guessed that some pretty woman was waiting for your return.”

“Technically, you’re not wrong, but that statement isn't true in the way you think it is. There’s definitely women waiting for me, but they’re my little sisters.”

“You know, girls like a guy who’s in touch with his feminine side. Not to mention, being a good big brother is essentially bonus points.” Rantarou laughed at this remark, then smirked at the girl, raising an eyebrow.

“Falling for me, Shirogane-san?”

Tsumugi proceeded to throw one of the pillows from her bed directly into Rantarou’s face.

* * *

 

The second motive had been announced. That wretched bear would take one beloved item from everyone’s rooms, and the only way to retrieve it was, of course, via murder. Rantarou’s had been a picture of his youngest sister, the one he was still guilty about losing. It was an image that served not only as a fond memory, but as a motivator to keep working towards getting out of here alive. He didn’t care what his father and family had told him, he _would_ find her.

Tsumugi’s had been her utensil kit she would carry around to work on cosplays. It seemed to serve some sort of soothing purpose, similar to Rantarou’s picture, to the Super High School Level Cosplayer, as she had become increasingly more agitated with her lack of ability to make progress on any of the costumes loitering around her room. Eventually, she had just told (not offered, _told_ ) Rantarou to put them in his room so she wouldn’t have to look at them.

Everyone else’s item was of course, an unknown. While it seemed like the adventurer could get a grasp on what some certain important items could be, he didn’t know for certain. There were also those whose items he didn’t even have the slightest inkling about. But he had observed the effect it had had on some of them. Some of them got angry like Tsumugi, others got restless. There was one particularly childish classmate who had burst into tears during breakfast because her giraffe stuffed animal, which had been with her since childhood, now rested in Monokuma’s clutches.

That’s why Rantarou wasn’t even slightly fazed by the second murder, despite being one of the first students to find the body. It was more gruesome than the first. The killer almost seemed to have a personal grudge, with all the stab markings on the corpse of a boy he and Tsumugi had chatted with only yesterday.

“I don’t want to believe it happened again… but I can’t ignore this, either.” Tsumugi shook her head in dismay, after already having seen the body and now taking a few steps back from it. “Amami-kun, let’s do our best during this investigation.”

“Of course.” Though they couldn’t always see eye-to-eye on the issue of optimism, their attitude towards solving the murder was a shared sentiment.

* * *

 

The murderer had been a female student. Her motive was that Monokuma had stolen a medication she desperately needed to take daily. The multiple stab wounds were due to her being unsure if her strength could actually kill someone with one stab of the knife (“Better safe than sorry.” She recalled tearfully during her confession.). Rantarou and Tsumugi watched as all their efforts to crack the case wide open gave them their result: another one of Monokuma’s ironic and gruesome executions.

“We’ve got to get out of here.” Tsumugi had gotten her sewing supplies back, but she was probably worse off now than before. They both sat side-by-side on Rantarou’s bed. “I can’t-- I _can’t_ watch that happen again.”

Rantarou had remained silent for a good portion of the time they’d spent like this post-trial, and tried to comfort Tsumugi by rubbing her back. He’d comforted his sisters before, but never with having to deal with anything of this caliber. Then, an idea sparked in his head.

“Wait here.” He rose from the bed and retrieved some items from on top of his dresser, then sat behind the girl.

“What are you…?”

“You’ll see. Just don’t move your head around a lot.”

“...Okay.” Tsumugi complied, and sat still, though she was still looking at the ground. Rantarou picked up some of the cosplayer’s many strands of hair, and began to brush it thoroughly. It seemed the latter was still slightly miffed at what exactly was going on, but she stayed silent and obeyed Rantarou’s words from earlier. It seemed after a while, he’d put the brush down, and was now working his hands through her, tying it a in a criss-cross fashion.

“I’ve never been too good with braids,” Rantarou admitted, his words containing a hint of laughter. “But I hope this doesn’t look too bad.” He handed her a hand mirror so that she could judge his work herself. Taking the mirror, she moved a few strands into place, and pushed up her glasses.

“I’ve definitely seen worse, believe me.” A light smile crept up on Tsumugi’s face. “But it’s not that bad… was this to cheer me up?”

“Hmm, hopefully.” The adventurer pushed a hand through his own hair. “It worked with my sisters sometimes. Having someone do your hair can be kind of relaxing.”

“Although you kind of half-assed the bottom… thank you, Amami-kun.”

“Not a problem.”

* * *

 

The third and fourth motives, murders, and trials all became a blur. Rantarou and Tsumugi had teamed up again and again to investigate the murders, and always proved vital to solving the case. Both trials had been double-murders, leaving them now with only four other classmates aside from themselves.

“I think it’s time,” Monokuma had proposed to them one day, after popping up out of what was literally thin air. “For one last trial.”

“A final trial?” Rantarou glared at the bear wearily. “What kind of trial? No murder has occurred.”

“Weelll, with there not being too many of you guys right now, something like another double-murder would bring us dangerously close to a complete wipe-out!”

“So what do you intend to do?” Asked a male student, the Super High School Level Pilot. “Who’s the guilty party?”

“The guilty party you bastards will be aiming for is, dadadada!” The bear ceremoniously pulled out a trumpet and blew into it. “The mastermind! Pretty exciting, right?”

“By saying this, I hope you’re aware you’re making it explicit there _is_ a mastermind.” Tsumugi folded her arms. “Even though earlier, you showed confusion when we said there might be one.”

“Ah, well, y’know, gotta go along with the act! Being an actor makes the big bucks!” Monokuma seemed proud of himself for holding up that facade. “Anyways, the entire school’s now entirely on-limits! Look as far as you please, wherever you please!”

“... Everywhere?”

“Everywhere! This includes the rooms of your other classmates! Monokuma’s gotta blast. Call me if you need me!”

* * *

 

“He said we could investigate wherever we wanted, but this place is just too suspiciously clean.” Tsumugi bit her lip as she picked up an empty folder. “Even though it’s supposed to be where the mastermind resides…”

“No kidding.” Rantarou peeked inside an empty trash can. “There’s no sign of life in this room at all.”

“... Who do you suspect at this point? This is the home stretch, after all.” Probably to encourage him to answer, Tsumugi added: “I’ll follow your vote, regardless of who you end up choosing.”

“I appreciate the sentiment, but I honestly don’t have a clue.” He shuffled books around in the bookcase next to the desk, trying to see if any of them appeared suspicious. “Hmm? There’s a note in this one.” Tsumugi quickly moved over to where the adventurer was looking.

“What’s it say?”

“‘Humankind cannot gain anything without first giving something in return. To obtain, something of equal value must be lost. That is alchemy's first law of equivalent exchange.’ … What?”

“Oh, Fullmetal Alchemist! ‘In those days, we really believed that to be the world's one, and only, truth.’”

“Thaaaaat’s right!” Monokuma popped up behind them, causing Tsumugi to hide behind Rantarou. “See, Shirogane-san here appreciates my intellect.”

“No, I do not, I absolutely do not.”

“... Intellect appreciation aside, what does this mean?” He showed Monokuma the note, just so there would be no confusion about what he was referring to.

“Huh. In a story, we’d call this ‘foreshadowing’, Amami-kun.” Monokuma’s lifeless eyes stared into his. “Think of it as a hint. Or a warning! Whatever strikes your fancy.” Without a trace, the bear disappeared again. A silence hung over the room.

“I don’t think he could be more cryptic if he tried.” The adventurer broke the silence, shook his head, and placed the note in his pocket for future reference.

“If it’s foreshadowing, is someone going to lose their whole body? Or just an arm?” Tsumugi looked like she was focusing hard on solving the mystery of the message. “... Or _both_?”

“Shirogane-san, you’ll have to fill me in on the details later.” Rantarou confusedly scratched the back of his neck. “Hopefully, we can find more of Monokuma’s hints before trial time.”

“... I do too. Let’s keep moving.”

* * *

 

The hints they did find were minor, since after all it seemed like the mastermind cleaned up after themselves. However, everything was starting to come together. It seemed like… this whole case was suddenly making a lot more sense. Yes, _this_ detail and _that_ detail made sense if you deduced why they were like that, even with the lack of actual concrete evidence they did manage to approach what seemed like the correct conclusion. Now, the mastermind, a girl who they called the Super High School Level Florist, was cornered with no exits to leave from.

“You guys… wanna hear the truth about all of this?” She offered, realizing there was no way to win now.

“About… what?” Tsumugi’s eyebrow raised.

“This whole thing. Y’know, the memory loss, this school, how you got here, all that?”

“Go ahead,” The pilot snarled. “Go on and explain to us things we already know. You kidnapped us and brought us here, and you know it!”

“Heheh, well, you’re _sort of_ right, you know?” The girl looked over at Rantarou, and smiled. “You wanna know why you can so vividly remember your home life, your sisters, and your adventures, but not the week or so before coming here? I promise I can clear that all up for you.”

“Amami-kun, don’t listen to that wench.” The pilot boy was talking to him now, glaring at him, too. “She’s just gonna trick you with something again. Let’s hurry up and vote her already!”

“Wait,” Rantarou gestured to the pilot to calm down. “Let’s just hear what she has to say, alright? No matter what, she’s the mastermind, and we’ll all vote her in the end. She’s already essentially admitted to it, so she probably doesn’t intend on going back.” He then looked back at the florist girl. “Go on.”

“In the trial, you already pointed out that this was somehow being broadcasted, because you noticed cameras everywhere.” She nodded at Rantarou; he had been the one to bring this up. “Well guess what! Smile, you all are on live television! Ah, but no curse words. Then we have to bribe the editing team with higher wages to keep working on this show. They already have their work cut out for them with editing all this blood to be pink”

“People are… are watching _us_ kill each other… on live television?” Tsumugi looked at the girl in disbelief, and shook her head. “No one would want to watch this! It’s so gruesome and awful!”

“Oh, that’s _rich_ , coming from you, Shirogane-san.” The mastermind sneered. “Yes, it’s a show. A show some lunatics will audition for, even. Including you lunatics.”

“Like hell I’d audition for this shitshow. I’d just sit back and watch your ratings plummet.” A girl, the Super High School Level Good Luck, hissed at the florist, and balled her fist.

“Ugh, pray for our editing team, dear viewers…” The mastermind sighed, before continuing. “I suppose proof is what you’re looking for? Then behold, the audition tapes!”

* * *

 

The tapes had revealed all: that they were all merely accepted auditions on some twisted reality TV show. Tsumugi was probably the most shaken up, considering her video had her outright declaring to being a huge fan of the show, and how the mastermind from the first two seasons had resonated with her so strongly, and how she’d know just how to commit the perfect, unsolvable murder. Everyone else’s had definitely startled them, but not enough to completely throw off their judgement. When it came time for everyone to vote, they all indeed voted correctly.

“The execution… I take it you intend on executing yourself? Even if you don’t really want to die? Even if this is just some dumb television show meant for entertainment.” Rantarou asked, frowning.

“Unfortunately, rules are rules. You all beat me fair and square.” The florist shook her head, and walked off. “I intend on keeping any and all promises.”

“That’s still…” Tsumugi was about to say something, but the florist had her back turned to them, and didn’t seem like she was going to make any more additions to her previous statement. She made her way up a long staircase, before going down another hallway. Monokuma waited for her about halfway, before disappearing with her into the darkness. The lighting in the room got darker, and the big screen that had since dimmed since the showings of the audition tapes had played once again lit up. No one averted their eyes this time.

The execution began with an “eenie-meanie-miney moe” chant playing ominously in the background.

“What does that mean…?” The pilot asked, clutching his podium. “What’s she pullin’ here?!” Was it just to simply unnerve them? Or was there more to that?

“My mom picks the very best one, and you are…” There was a brief pause, but that was unmistakably the mastermind’s voice. “It!!”

Suddenly, a long claw reached out from the hallway they had seen the florist walk down, which picked up Rantarou, and dragged him along.

“Amami-kun!!” Tsumugi shouted, trying to reach out a hand. He, in turn, reached his out hand to attempt to meet hers. Their hands ended up grazing each other, and Rantarou was yanked into the darkness.

“What the fuck!?” The Super High School Level Good Luck stared in disbelief at the spot where Rantarou had once stood, then turned her head back to the screen.

The execution was just as gruesome as the others, if not moreso. This one went on for longer, though, beginning first with the mastermind buried underground, then sprouting up from the ground right before she might’ve lost consciousness from a lack of air (similar to a plant coming out of its seed, is what many had wagered). After she sputtered about, she turned to her left to see Rantarou, who had likely endured the exact same situation.

“I told you, I intend on keeping all my promises.” She whispered to him, most likely so the students watching the execution couldn’t hear.

“Is this about the note?” He felt his blood run cold as he realized he could very well possibly die here. “... Am I the thing that must be lost?”

“The freedom of many must be gained, therefore the freedom of the few must be lost.” The florist smirked, awaiting the next part of the punishment.

Soon, a torrential downpour befell them, forcing them to swim. Rantarou didn’t feel angry or confused by this point anymore, as he swam to the top for air. He really wished he could escape this, somehow live and continue to see what really was behind those barred doors of the school, find his sister, and...

That’s right. He’d leave behind his classmates, too. He’d gotten to know a fair share of them, admittedly not as well as he would’ve liked to, but he would definitely argue he’d forged some bonds he’d rather not break. There was the pilot, the lucky student, Tsumugi…

He gulped. He knew Tsumugi had been the most affected by her audition tape, and with good reason: she appeared to be the only one enthusiastic about going on this awful deathtrap of a show. She’d desperately need some emotional support after this, and Rantarou had been expecting to be the one to provide it. No more. He’d have to leave that one in the hands of his classmates.

The adventurer noticed the water below him (and the mastermind) was drying up, as the sun seemed to be shining brighter. If the sun managed to dry up the water as quickly as it did, it was radiating a fatal amount of heat. This is how they died, huh? He looked over at the florist. She had seemed earlier like she was confident about going up to the execution, but now she appeared to be genuinely terrified. Still, she held her ground, albeit shaking like a leaf, and sweating heavily too.

“I… It was nice knowing you, Amami-kun…” She said between breaths, falling down to the ground. “S-Say… your last words to all of them… ‘fore it’s… too late.” He wanted to bark back with a “You should be more concerned about yourself”, but bit back the remark.

“Everyone, each of you… you have to live!” He shouted out, pushing out the words he could manage. “Don’t you all… give up after this! We’ve… we’ve come so far!” The adventurer launched into a coughing fit. There was so much more he had to say, so much more he _needed_ to say, but he just couldn’t get the words out. He heard the mastermind fall first, and he followed suit shortly. Everything, even the bright sun, was beginning to fade to black.

* * *

 

“So it was all a show.” Tsumugi looked nervously around the studio she now found herself in. It had been a week now since the mastermind and Rantarou’s executions, and she still couldn’t believe it. Her memory was returning in fragments, especially after she loitered around her apartment for a short while. Her room was covered from wall-to-wall in Dangan Ronpa merchandise, most notably a character named “Junko Enoshima” she seemed to be so, so fond of. It almost made her sick.

She had returned to the studio for an obligated check-up. It seemed, unsurprisingly, being in a killing game really did a number on people's’ mental health, so there were tons of therapist and psychologists running all over the place, to see how they were managing to deal with it all. There were people here she didn’t recognize, people who were probably from earlier seasons. The road to recovery was a long, convoluted process, indeed. A boy she didn’t know sat down next to her, sighing.

“I would ask if you were alright, but I’m going to take a guess that none of us are.” He tried to make a joke to lighten up the mood. “I can’t believe I ever signed up for this.”

“Me neither.” Tsumugi shivered, recalling her apartment room. “When I was in there, I never thought it was all… like this.”

“Damn game changed my whole vocabulary. Every time I hear the words ‘murder’ or ‘kill’ get thrown around, I wince.” The boy shuffled his feet and huffed. It was obvious he didn’t like feeling vulnerable. “Kinda wish I was given a second chance, though.”

“Wh… Why on earth would you want a second chance at this!?” Tsumugi looked over at the boy, eyes wild with disbelief.

“I think… I’d like to be the guy calling the shots.” He met her gaze. “Instead of being some baffled bystander. The mastermind in my game pulled some shit. Shit that I don’t think she be classified as ‘playing by the rules’. Foul play, I mean. If I were the mastermind, I’d make it fair.”

“Still, the fact that you’d want to be the mastermind in the first place is…”

“Messed up? I’m aware. But you see some of the kids who audition for this crap? They’re all, ‘I wanna solve a murder’, or ‘I’m gonna kill someone, and no one’s gonna find out’, especially with these recent seasons. People like that make me uneasy. They don’t know one thing about killing someone. They’ve never experienced grief or anger like you or I have.”

“So, it’s sort of a way to exact revenge, is what you’re saying?”

“Exactly.” He exhaled, and chuckled a bit. “Heck, I think I might brainwash ‘em too. Warp their personalities a bit. That way, when they see their audition tapes, they never become those people again.”

* * *

 

“We’re actually looking for returning participants to be the mastermind this time, since it could bring ratings up pretty high…” The interviewer scratched the back of his neck. “But someone from the previous season might be a little… y’know, obvious?”

“If the premise is that everyone’s memory has been wiped clean, then you could still trick some viewers.” Tsumugi sat calmly, and maintained good posture and eye-contact. “Besides, they might think I’m faking memory loss to avenge my classmates, or something like that.” The interviewer scratched his beard, clearly thinking hard on what she had said. Finally, he made a mark on his clipboard.

“You’re up for consideration. We’ll call you if you’re chosen.”

“Thank you very much.”

* * *

 

She’d been chosen. The killing game was supposed to start in six days; they just had to get all the auditions this time around finalized. She’d told them what she wanted, too: personality fabrication, memory erasure, “remembering lights” that would cause the students to recall a false reason and backstory as to why they were there, all of that. To study, she finally caved into curiosity and looked up some clips of Junko Enoshima, the figure that seemed to be just about everywhere in her room. Junko hadn’t been a “successful” mastermind, in the way that both times she was mastermind, she ended up on the losing side. Junko _had_ been a popular mastermind, though, in the way that people were always comparing her to any other mastermind in all of Dangan Ronpa. Even though she was only the villain of the first two seasons, people seemed infatuated with her.

There was a sort of charismatic element to her, Tsumugi admitted. Whenever she was onscreen, it was difficult to focus on whoever was talking instead of her. Despite the fact she had planned for all these terrible, disgusting murders, she still managed to be somewhat… likeable. She was incredibly smart, pretty, and funny to watch. Tsumugi started to see why this character had such a huge impact on her former self. It was difficult to finally shut off her computer and go to sleep that night. Not only was the killing game right around the corner, watching Junko had given her a whole new slew of ideas to try out.

* * *

 

So far, it had all been a success. The brainwashing, the fake talents, all of it had worked flawlessly. Even the wardrobe changes she had only suggested two days in advance (after sketching each and every one, of course) went swimmingly. However, there was one part of it that hadn’t gone as intended. One part that was entirely unpredictable.

_Him_.

_He was here._

_Why was he here._

And of course, he recognized her, and pulled her aside shortly after Monokuma’s announcement.

“I… I didn’t know you were alive.” This was entirely the truth, despite it coming from the mouth of a mastermind.

“I didn’t know I was either, until a few days ago.” Rantarou shook his head. “Apparently, the people behind the show had escorted me off to a hospital, since that girl broke the rules or something. I was in a coma for quite some time.”

“How did… what... “

“They told be they suspected it since the very beginning, since they were observing her closely. Anyway, shortly afterward that put me in here after I woke up from my coma. By the way, what season is it?”

“Uhm, uhh… V3. Amami-kun, I--”

“So it’s only been a season. I suppose it couldn’t have been that long ago since the execution. Thank goodness.”

“Amami-kun!!” He hadn’t been paying attention to her, so finally she had to shout. Rantarou seemed to be taken aback by this.

“Wh-What is it, Shirogane-san?”

“I… I thought you were _dead_ ! And then, suddenly, we’re in another killing game together, and I…!” Without warning, she buried her face into his shoulder. “When you died, I… I didn’t talk to anyone for _days_! I barely ate!” Rantarou remained silent and motionless, before hugging her.

“I’m sorry, Shirogane-san. I… I didn’t realize it had been that long.”

* * *

 

“You didn’t mention why you were here again, Shirogane-san.” Rantarou was flipping through some of the magazines in her room. “Did they get you again?”

“Y-Yes, it appears so.” It was easier to get away with half-lies than to just lie entirely. She contemplated telling the truth, but she wasn’t sure how Rantarou would react. “I was sitting in my apartment one day, and… I was abducted before I knew anything about it.”

“I see. They’re persistent.” He muttered, turning a page in the magazine. “Do you recognize any of the other students this time around? From when you went into those therapy sessions.”

“No, I’ve never seen these kids before in my life.” That was a lie, actually. She’d seen Shuuichi one time when he approached her and shyly asked for a picture and an autograph, since she had been in Dangan Ronpa. According to her plans, he wasn’t dying until the very end. Good. He deserved to suffer, that disgusting boy.

“Mysteriouser and mysteriouser.” He closed the magazine, and set it down. “Well, if you’ll excuse me, I have to go. Momota-kun wanted me to join in in some activity or another he was planning. Stay safe, Shirogane-san.” Rantarou waved as he exited her room.

The three-day time limit she had given them was slowly but surely dwindling. It appeared everything was going to plan, though. She was told by one of the editors who looked at them all through the cameras that the atmosphere and tension was getting to that Kaede girl. And just as she planned, Shuuichi had gotten rather close to her during the days leading up to the time limit as well. However, there was one factor she was worried about: Rantarou Amami. If anyone would catch on to her being the mastermind, it’d be him (or maybe that Kokichi Ouma kid, but he hadn’t known Tsumugi for as long as Rantarou had). She’d need to get rid of him.

* * *

 

She screamed into her pillow that night. She was going to kill the boy who’d done everything to keep her and everyone else safe the season prior. She was going to reward his kindness and consideration with death.

* * *

 

The time limit was up, and just as expected, the pieces were moving into place. Kaede had used the camera’s flash to lure Rantarou into the position where his head would meet the cold, iron shot put.

* * *

 

It missed. Why did it miss.

* * *

 

She crept up behind him. He escaped death once. Not again.

* * *

 

She just needed to perfectly fake the awe and surprise at the situation. Externally, anyway. Internally, her heart was a sea of emotions, all colliding violently with each other.

Being the villain never truly felt so awful.

 

...

 

Here lies the former Super High School Level Adventurer, now Super High School Level Survivor, Rantarou Amami.

Beloved big brother. Beloved classmate. Beloved friend. Beloved protector.

 

**Author's Note:**

> me: sees an opportunity to briefly mention ouma and momota  
> me, rubbing my dirty hands together: HEHEHEHEHEH
> 
> hello, this is my first work i'm throwing on here (yay?). i used to write some other stuff on ff.net for completely different fandoms, but, uh, here now. i apologize for how. fumbled the fic can seem, especially near the end. i wrote the ending half for like 3 hours one night and haven't revised it. maybe i'll do that.
> 
> i don't really have all the details on the endgame information of v3, so i tried to do the best i could with what little i knew + the wiki. I Kinda Tried, I Guess. i know tsumugi calls rantarou a bunch of names in ch1 ("edgy normie" and whatnot), but i like to think maybe it was all an act on her part so no one else got suspicious. idk boys i'm a sap!
> 
> if anyone's wondering, the various students from v2 are of my own creation, most notably the pilot, the florist, and the good luck. the florist's personality i changed to be a better antagonist for this kind of story. her name is chika, she's a good girl, and she drinks her juice and eats her veggies. she's usually better than this.
> 
> but UH YEAH thanks for reading! i'm working on something else (an au, which is usually the kind of fics i write), but someone jumped on the same idea a bit before me so i got discouraged about publishing my own silly story... but regardless i hope to get that up and off the ground! it features more than just tsumugi and rantarou, haha. as much as i love the dynamics between the two i'd love to write for more characters than just them.
> 
> this got REALLY LONG but if y'all have any more questions, leave a comment below and i'll try to get back to ya.


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